Loved it! hard to "get up" than I thought it would be heelside but toeside is just fine. Great workout for sure. Rode for 4 hours at Peeble Creek just outside Pocatello.

I used rental gear, Rossingol 161 board. So according to all the charts I should be on a 163cm board (or so). 5'11" and 230 lbs. size 10.5 boot.

I have skateboarded for about half my life, skimboarding on the coast, a little ice hockey as a kid. My balance is pretty good.

The 161 seemed fine to me. The board responded well to toe and heel pressure, speed was plenty good.

Locally I can find great deals on year old gear but most are 158cm. I am thinking about jumping on that but wanted to get thoughts before I flip 2 bills for it. Its Atomic with Atomic bindings and DC boots.

The board has almost no wear on it. No chips, de-lam, cracks, no rust at all.

I'm not into tricks, no park stuff. I like to cruz, carve and just have a good time with my wife. Not looking to get famous or rich. I plan on once or twice a week boarding so I dont want pure junk but I dont need to drop 400 either. I'm a father of 4 and at some point I'll have to get them gear also.

So, 158cm alright for my style? All groomed slopes too, maybe a splash of powder from time to time but not serious. My wife will keep me a little tame.

As a first board there's nothing wrong with downsizing a little. The only thing is you may start to overpower that board sooner than you like. It would probably make a great 1st year board if you're going to get out up to about 25 times.

How well do the boots fit? If they fit well I'd say go for it...

At the end of the season you'll probably be ready to go ape shit and get yourself an intermediate board, brand new boots, etc. but at least you'll have a better idea of what you like and what you don't.

And by the end of the season, the current boards should be 40%+ off...